Q&A with Stafford

I just got a hold of this Q&A that appeared in a recent Sporting News issue. This Q&A brings back good memories. That 2006 Auburn game was awesome!

Snapshot
Q&A with Matthew Stafford
by Rebecca Rudolph for Sporting News 2009 Draft Guide

The NFL player I am most like is ... John Elway, as far as the style of play - a strong-armed player who can move and make plays outside the pocket if I have to.

My favorite play is ... Rex, gun, 263, demon, ted, drag. It's like a double post with a drag route by the tight end and a hook by the running back.

My opponents would say the best thing I do is ... timing. I'm on time a lot. When receivers come out of the breaks. I'm good at getting to them quick.

My college stats fail to show ... losing sacks. I only got sacked 17 times this year. I did a pretty good job getting out of (those) situations.

My breakthrough moment as a college player was ... my freshman year (when) we played Auburn at Auburn. They were No. 5 in the country and we were 6-4, and I had 85 yards rushing, something like 300 passing yards (it was actually 219), and we ended up winning the game.

The part of my game that will need the most work in the NFL is ... overall consistency. That's something I'll work on until I stop playing, but it's an ongoing process. ... I want to see how good I can get.

I'd love to be drafted by ... the Detroit Lions. (Being drafted first) would be an honor ... and I'd love to be a part of bringing that organization back to winning ways.

I'm better than most quarterbacks because ... I have a lot of experience. I played in 39 football games against some of the best teams in the country, like in the SEC, and not a lot of guys can say they played that many (big) games.

My best memory from playing college football is ... the time you have with your teammates and coaches, the stuff no one sees. Those are the best memories I have.

Five years from now, I will be known for ... helping the Lions comeback to making the playoffs and making the Super Bowl. That's not a realistic five-year goal, but I'd like to be apart of a winning franchise.

My advice to players entering college this year is ... the No. 1 thing that will bring you success is hard work and to stay on top of things you need to stay on top of. There will be times when you're not sure you can do it, but with hard work you'll always come out of it on top.